1000 Words
by mistressofburden
Summary: When Inuyasha leaves Kagome they quickly realize just how connected they are.Rated for Language. Quite a few references to the manga from the past few months, if you haven't read it or don't already know abut what's happened, you're in for a shock


Kagome sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees as she drew them up to her chest. For the first time in years she was stuck, alone and in her own era. Inuyasha had brought her back well over two weeks ago. Two weeks, five days, eight hours, thirty-six minutes and twelve seconds if you wanted to get technical.

_I know that you're hiding things  
__Using gentle words to shelter me_

Inuyasha hadn't _exactly_ told her why he needed her to go home. All he had really said was: **_"Keh, I need to look into some things and I don't need you're weak human ass slowing me down."_**

It wasn't the most considerate or romantic way of being told that he had to take care of something that could endanger her life, but that was Inuyasha for her. It also took her sitting him eight times and Sango pointing out that fact for her to realize it.

Once the subjugation had worn off, he promptly snatched an apologizing Kagome up and dropped through the well. Once they were on her side of the well he carried her over to the Goshinboku.

**_"We heard a rumour about Naraku's whereabouts." Inuyasha admitted, looking down at his feet._**

_**"Okay, so let me pack some supplies and we'll…"**_

_**"No Kagome." Inuyasha said firmly, "Sango, Miroku and I are going to look into it, Shippou is staying with the hag, and you're staying here."**_

_**"Why?" Kagome demanded. **_

_**"Because you shouldn't have to fight!" Inuyasha bellowed.**_

_Your words were like a dream  
__But dreams could never fool me  
__Not that easily_

**_Kagome blinked at Inuyasha's outburst. Inuyasha didn't often express his concern when it came to Kagome's welfare. It usually came out after something bad happened to her or if Miroku managed to goad it out of him._**

_**"But I have to go, I'll be able to tell you if the jewel is there, I'll have my purification arrows, I'll…"**_

**_"You'll stay here and wait for me to get back." Inuyasha told her, "We only have one shard left, and right now it's in my brother's possession."_**

**_"If I didn't know that Kikyo was dead, I would think you were coming up with some excuse to go run off to her." Kagome snapped, stepping over the fence that surrounded Goshinboku and making her way for her house._**

_I acted so distant then  
__Didn't say goodbye before you left_

_**She didn't miss the growl that Inuyasha shot at her before stomping after her, "I don't know why you would say that wench, but that was low!"**_

_**Kagome spun around and glared at him, "If you want to go find Naraku so bad then why don't you go chase after him already!"**_

_But I was listening  
__You'll fight your battles far from me  
__Far too easily_

_**Inuyasha blinked at the door that Kagome had suddenly slammed in his face. He pushed the screen open and followed his nose up to her room, smacking the door open. "Kagome!" He growled, as the scent of her tears invaded his nose. **_

_**"Just go." Kagome said softly, staring out her window at the tree that connected them.**_

_"Save your tears cause I'll come back"  
__I could hear that you whispered as you walked through that door_

_**Inuyasha sighed and nodded even though she couldn't see him, "I'll be back soon, just stay on this side of the well." He said, "Be safe, Kagome."**_

_**Kagome listened to Inuyasha's food steps as he left the house. She waited several long moments before leaving her room and walking back out to the tree and sitting among the roots, finally letting the sobs she had been holding back loose. **_

_But still I swore  
__To hide the pain when I turn back the pages  
__Shouting might have been the answer_

Kagome sighed and leaned her head back against the trunk; it had been the same, every day since Inuyasha had left. She almost regretted not yelling at him, at least not following him through the well a few times to make him bring her back until it was too late for her three friends to leave. And everyday she would eventually dissolve into tears, wanting nothing then to find the direction they left in to hunt them down.

_What if I'd cried my eyes out and begged you not to depart  
__But now I'm not afraid to say what's in my heart_

After the first week she had decided to go through the well to see Kaede and Shippou, only to find out they had left the village as well to help one of the neighbouring villages that had been devastated by a massive fire. Kagome had returned home to continue her vigil at the base of the tree.

"Kagome, dinner time!" Her mother's voice carried out to her and with a sigh Kagome stood, brushing the dirt off of her skirt.

She turned and reached up to touch the bare spot in the bark that signified where Inuyasha had been pinned for 50 years, fingering the small notch that Kikyo's arrow made in the ancient bark.

"I miss you, come back home." Kagome said softly before jumping off the roots and running for the house.

_Though a thousand words  
__Have never been spoken  
__They'll fly to you  
__Crossing over the time and distance holding you  
__Suspended on silver wings_

* * *

Inuyasha shifted in the tree, trying to get comfortable on the gnobby branch. He growled softly to himself, wishing he was in one of his tree's back in the village. All of them bore not only his scent, but spots where the bark had been rubbed down making the branch smooth and comfortable to lie on. 

He growled even louder and reached around to snap off the small twig that he had some how missed when he sat down. He glared at the tiny piece of wood that had stabbed him in the back before tossing it down to the ground. Judging from the startled grunt he had hit Miroku with it.

"Problems Inuyasha?" Miroku called up to him.

"Not a damn thing." Inuyasha snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

**_"I miss you." _**

_And a thousand words  
__One thousand confessions_

Inuyasha's ears twisted violently as the voice caressed his ears and he shot into a sitting position, "Oi!" He called down to Miroku, "Where's Sango?"

"Here." Sango's voice called up to him, "Why?"

Inuyasha shook his head, "Never mind, it was the wind."

Inuyasha knew that Miroku and Sango were sharing that knowing look between them. He had seen them do it far too often, and he also shared the same look with Kagome from time to time when Miroku and Sango would fight. They knew that there was no wind, but how could he explain that he had just heard Kagome's voice.

Inuyasha sighed and rolled his neck, which was still sore from his fight earlier in the day. He had been caught off guard by a turtle Youkai, and while one would think they'd be slow like their animal counterparts, this one had rushed him and thrown him against a large boulder before he could even draw Tetsusaiga.

A lucky shot from Hiraikotsu had knocked the Youkai on its back, revealing it's soft under belly, which Inuyasha quickly drove Tetsusaiga through.

**_"Come back home."_ **

_Will cradle you  
__Making all of the pain you feel seem far away  
__They'll hold you forever_

This time Inuyasha jumped from the tree and started violently going through all of the bags that carried their supplies. "Inuyasha!" Sango gasped, "What are you doing?"

Inuyasha turned a fierce glower on her, tossing the one bag aside before reaching for another. "Where's that runt?"

He didn't miss the glance that Sango gave Miroku, nor the shrug the monk gave. "He's back at the village with Kaede, why would you think otherwise?" Miroku asked in a tone that was almost _too_ casual.

**_"Do you miss me?"_**

Inuyasha's ears twisted back so hard he thought they'd almost detached themselves from his head. Sango barely had time to leap to the side as Inuyasha spun around. "Stop fucking with me, where is he!"

Sango held her hands up, "Shippou isn't here Inuyasha, tell us what's wrong!"

"I ain't telling you a fucking thing until you tell me where that little runt is so I can beat his fucking skull in!" Inuyasha growled.

Sango let out a frustrated sigh, "Inuyasha, _sit_!"

Even though the command didn't work for her, screaming it at him the way Kagome did always made her feel better. That and the look on his face was always priceless, as if he expected to suddenly be dragged down by his beads.

"Would you stop _doing _that?!" Inuyasha snapped.

"Tell me what's wrong and I will!"

Inuyasha huffed and leaped back up to his branch, "Keh, forget it!"

He heard Sango's frustrated sigh before the rustle of her clothing signalled that she was lying down to sleep for the night. The resonating sound of a slap a few minutes later let Inuyasha know that Miroku had gotten far to close for Sango's liking, and he strained to hear their breathing until it evened out.

Once he was sure his friends were asleep, he reached into his haori and pulled out the rolled up piece of bark that he had stripped from Goshinboku. He quickly glanced down to make sure that Miroku and Sango were still sleeping before he released the tie and carefully unrolled it, revealing a single lock of hair that he had stolen from Kagome's head one night while she slept.

_The dream isn't over yet  
__Though I often say I can't forget  
__I still relive that day_

He still didn't understand what had prompted him to do something so foolish, but it made the days and nights without Kagome more bearable. The lock of hair carried her scent, soothing him when the stress of the battles and of being away from her got to be too much. He had chosen to strip Goshinboku of its bark knowing that it would be strong enough to protect the small treasure. It also symbolized home for him, and made him think of the many times that he and Kagome had sat in that tree talking, watching the stars and sometimes falling asleep, wrapped up in each others embrace.

The wood was saturated with not only his scent, but also Kagome's, teasing him with the scent she would carry when they finally defeated Naraku and he asked her to keep her promise to stay with him for all time and taking her as a mate.

_"**It's funny, I don't feel that alone, it's like you're here with me."**_

Inuyasha whined softly as Kagome's voice sounded in his ears. Maybe this time he had gone too long without her, or else that turtle Youkai had done more damage then he thought.

_"You've been there with me all the way"  
__I still hear you say_

Inuyasha carefully placed the lock of hair against the piece of bark and rolled it back up, tying the piece and placing it back inside his Haori. "Wait for me Kagome, I'll be home soon."

* * *

_"Wait for me I'll write you letters"  
__I could see how you stammered with your eyes to the floor  
__But still I swore to hide the doubt  
__When I turn back the pages _

Kagome jerked awake, almost knocking herself out of the branch she had fallen asleep on. If Inuyasha saw her sleeping in the branches of Goshinboku he'd probably tear her a new one. But a sudden wave of loneliness had hit her and she sought out the comfort that the tree gave her.

She had some how managed to get the tallest ladder on the shrine grounds out of its storage place and against the tree without waking anyone. Once she was positive it wouldn't slip out from under her she climbed up until she reached the lowest branch. She then proceeded to climb up to the one that she and Inuyasha always say on, smiling and rubbing the smooth bark where it had been work down from years of being used.

Kagome leaned her head back and stared through the barren branches to look at the stars she could make out against the city lights. "Do you miss me Inuyasha?" She asked into the night.

She felt like laughing at herself, here she was, sitting in a tree in the middle of the night, talking to herself. Perhaps she had been spending too much time with Inuyasha.

_Anger might have been the answer  
__What if I'd hung my head and said that I couldn't wait  
__But now I'm strong enough to know it's not too late_

"I should be pissed off at you for leaving me here all by myself, but it's funny, I don't feel that alone, it's like you're here with me." She said softly, wrapping her sweater tighter to her body, "Maybe it's not the jewel and your rosary that connect us; maybe it's really the tree."

She thought back to the times over the past year that she had tried to remove the kotodama rosary, only to have Inuyasha fight her off. When she asked Miroku about it, the monk always figured that it was because Inuyasha felt that it was what connected her to him.

Kagome could feel her eyelids becoming heavier the longer she sat in the tree.

_Cause a thousand words  
__Call out through the ages_

_**"Wait for me Kagome, I'll be home soon."**_

_They'll fly to you  
__Even though we can't see I know they're reaching you  
__Suspended on silver wings_

A smile drifted over Kagome's face as she slipped into the arms of sleep, "I'll always wait for you Inuyasha." And just for a moment it felt like Inuyasha's arms were wrapped around her, holding her while she slept.

_Oh a thousand words  
__One thousand embraces  
__Will cradle you  
__Making all of your weary days seem far away  
__They'll hold you forever

* * *

"Inuyasha, wait up!" Sango and Miroku called to their Hanyou friend. _

Not having Kirara with them this trip made it difficult to keep up with Inuyasha as he bounded across the tree tops. Sango sighed and slowed her pace to a walk, giving up all hope of catching Inuyasha as the village came into view.

"Bring her back to see us!" Miroku shouted after him in a teasing tone.

"Keh, get your own Miko!" Inuyasha called back as he sped towards the well.

_Oh a thousand words  
__Have never been spoken  
__They'll fly to you  
__They'll carry you home and back into my arms  
__Suspended on silver wings ohhh_

_**"I'll always wait for you Inuyasha."**_

Those words had haunted Inuyasha's mind since he had fallen asleep the previous night. He had been dreaming of Kagome in his light sleep, and her voice had been like a caress to his soul. Those words had made every ounce of his being work harder to get to her by day break.

At some point the sound of his claws drumming against the branch he lay on awoke Sango and Miroku. When they realized that there would be know chance of falling asleep, the packed up their supplies and headed to the village, well before day break. By dawn Inuyasha spotted the village, and the thought of being back to Kagome made his legs move at speeds even he didn't know he possessed.

Inuyasha smiled as the familiar glow of the time slip engulfed him, and he quickly launched himself from the well and practically ran _through_ the door of the kitchen. Kagome's mother's voice stopped him as he reached the stairs.

"She's not in her room."

Inuyasha paused and looked back at the elder female Higurashi. "Where is she?"

Kagome's mother shrugged, "If anywhere, she's out at the Goshinboku, she's fallen asleep sitting among the roots for the past few nights."

Inuyasha frowned but changed his direction. He reached the tree and looked around in confusion, he could smell Kagome, but she wasn't cradled in the roots.

"She wouldn't." He muttered, looking up into the branches, "She would."

With a shake of his head as he spotted the light blue of her pyjama pants he leapt up to the branch she was laying on. He stared at Kagome while she slept, feeling like he was seeing her for the first time in years.

_And a thousand words  
__Call out through the ages  
__They'll cradle you  
__Turning all of the lonely years to only days  
__They'll hold you forever_

With a sigh Kagome opened her eyes, feeling the sudden cooler air of a shadow caressing her. She gasped when Inuyasha's hands pressed against the tree, pinning her between it and his body.

"And just what are you doing in the tree?" He demanded playfully.

"Waiting for you." She told him with a smile, "This is our place, it's what connects us."

Inuyasha smiled as her words made sense, "That explains why I kept hearing your voice."

Kagome's face broke out into a dazzling smile that made him so dizzy that he almost fell from the tree, "I heard you too!" She explained happily, "Did you miss me?"

Inuyasha leaned closer to her tapping her watch, "Keh, three weeks, two days, five hours, forty-two minutes and eight seconds."

Kagome cradled his face in her hands, "Twenty-two minutes baka."

Inuyasha grinned, "You read the damn thing upside down."

As her lips touched his, he truly felt for the first time like he was home.

* * *

**AN: Okay so this is what results from far too many hours of playing video games then watching Inuyasha. The song in the story is called "1000 Words" and it is sung by Jade. The song is in Final Fantasy X-2, which I spent a better part of my weekend playing. When I heard the song, I got a plot bunny.**

**Speaking of plot bunnies, I'm about ready to start sacrificing some, which means I have a massive amount bouncing in my head, which can be a good thing.**

**Now on a rantier note…I've gotten a few pm's that I would like to address.**

**I don't make Sesshomaru speak consistently in the third person because he DOESN'T!!!! If you notice, he only really says "This Sesshomaru" when he's irritated or trying to get a point across, not every time he goes to say "I".**

**This is what I consider a song fic, while I have nothing against other authors making song fics, I don't get why it's always Kagome or Inuyasha spontaneously breaking into song or going to Karaoke. The way I see a song fic is that the song is meant to convey a feeling within the story, much like the music of a movie. Just because Kagome sings in ONE episode of the anime doesn't mean she's always going to sing. So you will not see me have a story of that nature…again nothing against those of you who do write that way, some of them are awesome!**

**Okay, I'm done…Look for an update to When Love and Death Embrace soon, and for those of you on media miner . org look for an update for Temptation will be coming your way soon!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the characters of** **Rumiko Takahashi. I do own the plot of this story along with any original characters that may make an appearance.**


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